Flaring tool

Abstract

The invention relates to a flanging tool with an active surface configured to form a flanging flange of a sheet metal part, in which the flanging tool is moved along the flanging flange while the active surface is in contact with the flanging flange, wherein a spatial extent of the flanging tool in a direction perpendicular to the active surface is in the range of 1 mm to 10 mm and preferably 4 mm.

Description

[0001] Flared adhesive joints are used, for example, to join two components. For this purpose, an edge flange of an outer sheet is formed over the edge of an inner sheet. This can be done, for example, by roll flanging, where a flanging roller is guided along the component to be flanged and bends the flange towards the outer sheet. To achieve high joint strength, an adhesive is additionally applied to the area of ​​the flanged joint between the components before flanging.

[0002] A method for producing a flanged joint by roll flanging, as well as a suitable flanging device for this purpose, is known, for example, from German patent application DE 10 2006 010 469 A1. The flanging device comprises a flanging bed for holding a workpiece and an industrial robot that carries a flanging tool with at least one flanging roller on its hand. The flanging process is carried out in several steps. A roller in the shape of a cone or truncated cone is used as the pre-flanging roller. Either the same flanging roller or a cylindrical flanging roller is used as the finishing flanging roller for closing the flange. If such a flanging method is used to produce a flanged adhesive joint in vehicle components, the outer sheet metal is pressed onto the inner sheet metal when the flanging is closed.

[0003] The installation space for complexly shaped vehicle components is limited, and the crimped adhesive joint needs to be formed in hard-to-reach areas. Against this background, the object of the invention is to provide a solution for how a crimped adhesive joint can be improved in limited installation space. Furthermore, the solution should be suitable for mass production.

[0004] The problem is solved by a flanging tool according to claim 1. Further advantageous embodiments are described in the dependent claims and the following description.

[0005] A flanging tool is described having an effective surface configured to form a flanging flange of a sheet metal by moving the flanging tool along the flanging flange in the feed direction while the effective surface is in contact with the flanging flange, wherein the spatial extent of the flanging tool in a direction D perpendicular to the effective surface is in the range of 1mm to 6mm, and preferably 4mm.

[0006] Furthermore, the spatial extent or length L of the flanging tool can extend in the feed direction and parallel to the working surface and can be in a range of 20mm to 140mm.

[0007] Additionally or alternatively, a spatial extent or width B of the effective surface of the flanging tool can extend in a direction parallel to the effective surface and perpendicular to the feed direction A and be in the range of 5mm to 30mm.

[0008] Furthermore, one side of the flanging tool, which is opposite the working surface, can be rounded.

[0009] Additionally, the effective surface can be designed as a controlled screw surface or in the form of a helix-shaped effective surface.

[0010] The effective surface can be twisted by an angle ranging from 1 to 179 degrees. The boundary values ​​are included in the specified range.

[0011] Furthermore, two opposing working surfaces can be provided, which are arranged one behind the other in a longitudinal direction of the flanging tool.

[0012] Furthermore, a friction-reducing and / or adhesion-reducing coating, particularly made of tetrahedrally amorphous carbon, can be applied to the working surface. This coating offers the advantage of reducing friction between the tool and the workpiece, thereby reducing wear on the working surface. It also reduces adhesion effects and thus friction between the flanging tool and the workpiece being formed. Prior art attempts to minimize friction have been made through the use of flanging rollers or by geometrically designing the working surface. Compared to these solutions, the use of a coating on the working surface allows for the creation of a flanging tool that requires minimal installation space.

[0013] The advantages of the invention will be outlined below. The flanging tool is particularly well-suited for use in car body construction, as the installation space in already assembled and possibly painted car bodies is extremely limited. A conventional flanging tool typically consists of a rotationally symmetrical roller, which requires more installation space. Access to confined spaces in car bodies, such as the door sill, is not possible with a standard flanging tool. Due to its minimized geometric dimensions, the flanging tool described above can be used in confined spaces within car bodies.

[0014] These requirements necessitate a special configuration of the flanging tool, made possible by a combination of a helical working surface and a friction-reducing coating. Unlike the classic, rotationally symmetrical flanging roller, the working surface of this flanging tool is not rotationally symmetrical. The sheet metal flange is formed in a single operation, from the workpiece entering the tool to the finished flanging, via a helical working surface. This can accelerate the manufacturing process by up to two-thirds, thus saving process time. The combination of a helical working surface with a friction-reducing or adhesion-preventing coating, particularly one made of tetrahedrally amorphous carbon (TAC), results in a narrow design for the flanging tool.

[0015] Further advantages, features, and details of the invention will become apparent from the following description, in which exemplary embodiments of the invention are described in detail with reference to the drawings. The features mentioned in the claims and in the description can each be essential to the invention individually or in any combination.

[0016] The following is an example of this embodiment, explained with reference to the accompanying drawings. These show, in schematic representation: Fig. 1. A representation of a flared connection Fig. 2 a perspective view of a flanging tool with a helical working surface, Fig. 3 another perspective view of a flanging tool with a helical tool working surface, and Fig. 4 A representation of the front side of a flanging tool with a helical working surface

[0017] Based on the Fig. Section 1 will explain the basic structure of a flanged joint and the method for producing such a joint. First, an outer sheet 10, the edge of which forms a flanged flange 11, is provided. Optionally, an adhesive (not shown in detail in the figure) can be applied to the area of ​​the flanged joint to be formed. Next, an inner sheet 13 is positioned relative to the outer sheet 10 such that an edge of the inner sheet 13 rests on an area 12 of the outer sheet 10 that does not form the flange 11. The sheets 10 and 13 are positioned relative to each other using a fixture. A flanging tool is then brought with its working surface to the flange 11 and guided along the flange 11 in the direction of a longitudinal axis (L) of the flanged joint. Fig. 1. The flanging tool moves out of the plane of the drawing. During this movement, the flanging tool presses its working surface against the flanging flange 11 and bends it towards the inner sheet 13. Fig. Figure 1 shows an end position of the flange 11 in which the flange connection is completed.

[0018] Fig. Figure 2 shows a perspective view of the flanging tool 20, which is arranged on a base body 22. The base body 22 serves as a connecting element or as a holder for attaching the flanging tool 20, for example, to a robot, enabling the production of the flanged joint to be automated. The flanging tool 20 has an effective surface 21, which brings it into contact with the flanging flange 11 of the outer sheet metal 10.

[0019] The spatial extent of the flaring tool (20) in a direction D perpendicular to the helical working surface 21 is in the range of 1 mm to 6 mm, and preferably 4 mm. This results in a particularly narrow flaring tool. The length L of the flaring tool 20 extends in a feed direction A of the flaring tool 20 parallel to the helical working surface 21 and is in the range of 20 mm to 140 mm. The width B of the working surface 21 of the flaring tool 20 extends in a direction perpendicular to the feed direction A and parallel to the working surface 21 and is in the range of 5 mm to 30 mm. The direction in which the width B of the flaring tool 20 extends and the direction in which the length L of the flaring tool extends are perpendicular to each other and both run essentially parallel to the working surface 21. The longitudinal axis of the flaring tool 20 corresponds in Fig. 2 of the feed direction A.

[0020] Fig. Figure 3 shows a previously described flanging tool 20 in a further perspective view. The working surface 21 is designed as a standard helical surface or helix, with the reference axis of this helical geometry running in the feed direction A. The working surface 21 is designed as a left-handed helical surface. In other embodiments not shown in the figures, the helical surface can also be designed to be right-handed. Due to the shape of the working surface 21, the flanging flange 11 is continuously advanced during the forming process with the flanging tool 20 from an initial position, in which the flanging flange 11 is slightly angled to the main area 12 of the outer sheet 10, to a final position, as shown in Figure 3. Fig. As shown in Figure 1, the flange is bent. The flanging tool 20 is guided in feed direction A (shown by the arrow) along a flange edge and parallel to it. The flange is continuously formed towards the inner sheet 13 according to the angle α of the effective surface 21 of the flanging tool 20. Fig. In example 3, the angle α is approximately 150°. A flange previously angled at, for example, 60° is placed on the inner sheet 13 after forming with the flanging tool 20. The angle α thus defines the change in angle that the flange 11 experiences due to the flanging tool 20. The angle α can also cover larger angular ranges, for example, a range from 1° to 179°.

[0021] During the forming process, the flange follows the helical working surface 21, causing the material to stretch, particularly at the trim edge. The resulting material strain is influenced by the pitch of the working surface, which is determined by the working surface length, the angle α, and the flange width B. A pitch that is too shallow would result in excessive material strain and thus waviness in the flanged joint. Conversely, for a compact design of the flanging tool, the pitch should not be too large. For example, in tests, setting the working surface length to 60 mm proved effective for a flange width of 10 mm and an angle of 150 degrees.

[0022] Fig. Figure 4 shows a previously described flanging tool 20 in a front view to better illustrate the angle α around which the working surface 21 is wound. QUOTES INCLUDED IN THE DESCRIPTION

[0000] This list of documents cited by the applicant was automatically generated and is included solely for the reader's convenience. The list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA accepts no liability for any errors or omissions. Cited patent literature

[0000] DE 10 2006 010 469 A1

[0002]

Claims

[1] Flanging tool (20) with an active surface (21) which is configured to form a flanging flange (11) of a sheet (10) in which the flanging tool (20) is moved along the flanging flange (11) while the active surface (21) is in contact with the flanging flange (11), characterized by , that the spatial extent of the flanging tool (20) in a direction (D) perpendicular to the working surface (21) is in the range of 1 mm to 10 mm and preferably 4 mm. [2] Flaring tool (20) according to claim 1, characterized by , that a length (L) of the flanging tool (20) extends in a feed direction (A) parallel to the working surface (21) and lies in the range of 20mm to 140mm. [3] Flaring tool (20) according to claim 1, characterized by , that a width (B) of the effective surface (21) of the flanging tool (20) extends in a direction parallel to the effective surface (21) and is in the range of 5mm to 30mm. [4] Flaring tool according to any one of the preceding claims 1 to 3, characterized by , that a friction-reducing and / or adhesion-reducing coating, in particular made of tetrahedrally amorphous carbon, is provided on the effective surface (21). [5] Flaring tool (20) according to any one of the preceding claims 1 to 4, characterized by , that the effective surface (21) is designed as a controlled helical surface. [6] Flaring tool (20) according to any one of the preceding claims 1 to 5, characterized by , that the effective surface (21) is twisted by an angle (α) in the range of 1 to 179 degrees. [7] Flaring tool according to any one of the preceding claims 1 to 6, characterized by , that two opposing effective surfaces (21) are provided, which are arranged one behind the other in the longitudinal direction (A).

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